Interestingly, there is only one wrestler who appears in all three lists of 2011, 2012, and now 2013. I’ll let you know who when we get there, but I doubt the answer will surprise you.

1) Antonio Cesaro

Just missed out in making my 2012 cut but got an honourable mention, Cesaro has been working his socks off since arriving on our screens. He’s not great on the mic so his partnership with Swagger and Zeb Colter has been perfect in letting him shine in the ring instead. Oh and how he shined!

Everyone is going to point to The Cesaro Swing as the big move of the year, but don’t forget he already destoryed Miz against the barricades back in February when he was still a singles competitor. That’s the thing, he keeps inovating. Every couple months Cesaro will do something new, like the leapfrog over Swagger to stomp on the chests of his opponents on the ground.

There are no “5 Moves of Doom” to be found here. More like 500.

Also, check out this Swing from the indie circuit in 2009 when he actually swings his opponent a full 100 times. Bonus points for spotting the clean shaven D-Bry counting along.

2) Daniel Bryan

A common theme on these lists over the years has been me talking about how under-utilised Daniel Bryan is. We can’t really say that this year, can we? Pretty much everything worth watching in WWE went through him and he main-evented multiple Pay-Per-Views this winter.

We, as fans, tend to forget sometimes that despite D-Bry not having the title around his waist, he’s still doing well. We all want to see him as the champ because we like him but he is in prime-position in the company and for the wrestlers that’s the important part.

Hopefully next year will be just as good for the goat. He hasn’t gotten an injury yet and long may his luck continue. For a little highlight, let us all remember the moment when Daniel Bryan pinned John Cena clean in the middle of the ring for the WWE title. Pinned. John Cena. Clean.

And, yeah, Bryan is totally the only guy in the FF all three years.

3) The Shield

The Shield have had a hell of a year. They’ve been central to almost everything. All the big story lines have included them at some point or another. I guess that’s what happens when you’re the random interveners or hired enforcers.

I was tempted to just list Roman Reigns on his own as he has been the clear stand-out in the group but I felt it would be unfair to the group as a whole who have helped him create that little spotlight on him.

But because he is so damned beautiful…

4) Big-E Langston

BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E BIG-E… I kinda just want to write that for a couple paragraphs but I guess I should write something.

Anyone who follows Big-E online knows he’s a very warm, funny, and charming guy. It helps knowing this because his mic-work needs improving (or, more realistically, he needs a gimmick that doesn’t require him to be the tough serious guy). Everyone seems to like him and that doesn’t hurt when added to his already impressive physique.

He’s the current Intercontinental champion and they’ve partnered him up, in true WWE form, with the other big scary black guy because… sure! But despite him punching AJ in the boob earlier this year, next year should see Big-E hit even bigger heights.

5) AJ

She’s been almost single-handedly holding the Diva’s division together. Her and Kaityln had a great feud earlier in the year, then she ran the gamut of Total Divas. She barely got the same amount of air-time as most mid-card guys but she still managed to make one of the stand-out moments of the year with her pipe-bomb in August.

Long may the reign of Queen AJ continue. The WWE would be a lot worse off without her.

AND COMPETING FOR A PLACE…

I feel a little silly not mentioning some of the other great workers in the game right now. Here are some guys who just missed out of my Fave Five.

Cm Punk: I know it’s kinda ridiculous not to have him on the list, apart from D-Bry up there he has been on all previous ones. But his time off with injury and general relegation to the upper-mid card has hurt him in my eyes. Also, I really wasn’t a fan of the long drawn-out feud with Paul Heyman. REALLY.

Cody Rhodes: Cody continuously just misses out on the list, the poor little guy. It must keep him up at night. He’s got the looks, the talent, and the momentum. Hopefully 2014 is his break-out year.

Goldust: It is 2013 and Goldust is on a list of current great wrestlers within the WWE. Let that soak in. Amazing.

Dolph Ziggler: Remember when Dolph cashed in his briefcase and everyone lost their shit? Remember? It was only a couple months ago. Honest. No, really, it was. Sigh.

Butt Championship.

Fatal 4-Way.

Tables/Ladders/Chairs.

DJ as Goldust because DJ maintains that he is the greatest wrestler of all time.

Kasey as CM Punk because Kasey is totally gay for CM Punk.

Joey as Eddie Guerrero to represent the memory of Latin Heat with honor.

Mike as Ken Shamrock because its one of the only wrestler names he recognized.
DJ and Kasey are jerkbutts.

HHH has a terrible habit of putting himself into matches where he isn’t needed.

This week on RAW Paul Levesque once again announced himself as the special guest referee for the WWE Championship match at Summerslam. This is the match between WWE-poster-boy John Cena and the-hottest-thing-in-the-business-right-now Daniel Bryan. A match that the fans are ravenous for (especially since John’s current elbow injury gives Bryan a good chance of taking the title), a match that almost sells itself. But now they’ve added the pointless stipulation of HHH being the guest referee. Does this sound familiar at all? Well it should.

Two years ago CM Punk absconded with the WWE Championship after beating John Cena for it. During his absence the WWE crowned a new champion once again in John Cena. When Punk returned, with the title, a decider was created for Summerslam 2011. The match sold itself, right? Punk was the biggest thing in wrestling for years after THAT promo earlier in the year. The buzz after his disappearance with the title was epic. The fans were salivating at the prospect of these two guys meeting in the ring again. The PPV tickets were being snapped up like a Sharknado.

Cue Triple H. Making himself a wrench in the works, Paul decided that this huge match for some reason needed him to make it better. And not a single person understood why. Just watch and tell me why this match needed him.

Now, the intervention of Vince McMahon, that’s something you can make a case for. Vince has put wrestlers over successfully in the past. Nobody needs me to explain the good he did for Steve Austin. The Boss’ dislike for small wrestlers is legendary so the story is an obvious one to use. Bryan, the perennial underdog, being told by the Chairman that he’s just not what they’re looking for is a great way to push Bryan even further into the stratosphere. That sort of angle for an already good match makes sense.

HHH’s feud with Vince recently has been lackluster at best, boring to say the least. I don’t think anyone really gives a damn about whether or not Stephanie is feeling awkward about her husband and father fighting backstage. So to push that terrible storyline into the middle of the Championship match at one of the biggest PPVs of the year? It stinks of ego and nepotism, even in the wrestling business which is built on ego and nepotism.

A perfect example was the big promo between Bryan and Cena at the end of RAW this week. Bryan called Cena a parody of a wrestler, Cena slapped Bryan in the face. I was gripped. I was excited. I was sitting on the edge of my seat. Then HHH’s music hit and I audibly groaned. Such an anti-climax. He came down to the ring and stood there with a smirk on his face and did nothing. A good representation of all he has to offer at this point.

I get that HHH was a big draw back in the day. Hell, I was a fan at one point myself. I hear he does a good job backstage and seems to be part of some positive changes in the company. But these days I think he should stay retired and stay out of the ring, even if he is only wearing stripes.

Winds of change. It’s not just a move by Wade Barrett. This past week has seen a near upheaval of change within the WWE. So many turns, people don’t know their heels from their faces. I thought it an opportune time to do a report of where we are right now.

– Daniel Bryan is carrying the company.

Who would have seen that coming? D-Bry has been stealing the show for a couple months now but WWE have not been subtle with how much they’re relying on him. Every week on both RAW and Smackdown the amount of focus and match time he has been getting has been unparalleled.

The crowd reaction has been insane too. I can’t remember a wrestler getting as big a pop as him since CM Punk dropped his pipe-bomb three years ago and even then it wasn’t as unanimous as the love for Bryan is. He’s got every arena in the palm of his hands and JBL is almost masturbating on mic during his matches.

It’s all incredibly deserved success and I hope it continues. With his match being called short on RAW I think it shows just how valuable the heads backstage think he is. They were more willing to cut a big match short and protect Bryan than risk injuring him. Daniel was clearly happy to carry on and I believe Randy has the experience to be able to look after him out there but backstage panicked and I think that speaks volumes.

It seems we’re all extremely glad he’s OK.

– Returns, Returns, Returns

There had been so many injuries of late, it allowed a lot of the younger talent to get some longer air-time. However, WWE still doesn’t trust (or like) some of its talent enough to give them any matches at all. I’m looking at you, Ryder. It seems they feel they need some bigger, more established names so I’m sure they were thrilled to welcome back Punk, Christian and Mark Henry from injury.

Mark particularly impressed me with his wonderful retirement fake-out. I didn’t know he had those acting chops in him! Pork chops, sure… Anyway, I jumped off my couch when he slammed Cena. Henry is one of my favourite heels and I wasn’t aware that he has never held the WWE title. I don’t think he’ll be able to pry it away from Cena right now but I can’t wait to see him fight for it.

Rob Van Dam is back in the frame too. Much like Punk, we will have to pay to see his return. I wasn’t particularly impressed with his work in TNA so hopefully he isn’t over-the-hill yet. I wonder if he’ll team up with anyone. It wouldn’t hurt to let Heyman manage him but I’d be surprised if they make RVD a heel on his comeback. These are just random thoughts on my behalf, folks.

– Good or bad?

Ok, so here are three major heel/face turns that I can gauge from the past week.

1) Punk is now a face.
2) Ziggler is now a face.
3) Del Rio is now a heel.

Of course, these things happen all the time, but those three particularly pleased me as they were crucial to moving the company forward.

Both Punk and Ziggler were too popular to continue as heels. If someone is going to be the bad guy, half the crowd cheering you on is a problem. This allows for bigger crowd reactions now as they utilize two of their best talents in a more sensible vein.

Del Rio never worked as a face. He was always best as a smug bad guy. Even when he smiles he looks evil. He’s much more enjoyable when he’s cheating than when he’s desperately trying to win over a crowd with terrible promos. I couldn’t be happier about the change.

– Do you believe in The Shield yet?

Much like Daniel Bryan, The Shield have been making the lives of the show writers a hell of a lot easier.

Don’t know what to do with a top wrestler? Feud him with The Shield.
Need a main event? 6 man tag match with 3 random wrestlers against The Shield.
Don’t know how to end a match? Send in The Shield.

They’re the Swiss army knives of the WWE. The bonus is they’re killing it in the ring. Amazing match after amazing match. It hasn’t hurt that D-Bry has been in most of those matches with them, but make no mistake, these guys can carry it on their own too. They’ve been a massive highlight this year, and while we’re only half way through 2013, its theirs as long as the writers don’t mess it up.

It’s that time again. The big show. Not him, Wrestlemania. My predictions last year were damn near perfect. The only winner I got wrong was Rock/Cena, but considering that was the big shock of the night, I’m OK with missing just one. Can my accuracy continue?

These are the announced matches at the time of writing this article. Considering there is no Diva’s title or US title match on the card 5 days before the show says a few things but I’m sure there’ll be last minute matches for both on the night.

Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett vs. The Miz (Interactive Pre-Show Match)

The rumble in the pre-show! Nobody really cares about this match so it’s not too surprising it’s a YouTube only event. Although if that was the rule, half of these matches would be on the pre-show instead of the PPV. That being said, Barrett versus Miz being off the Pay-Per-View also locks in it’s inevitability. They won’t change belts like that.

Winner: Wade Barrett
Via: Pin-fall

Tons of Funk & The Funkadactyls vs. Team Rhodes Scholars & The Bella Twins

This could have been a bigger deal. They genuinely could have made me care about this one. Rhodes Scholars are great on the mic and in the ring. The team of Albert/Tensai/Sweet Tea and Brodus Clay are… good in the ring? But at the very least, the Bella Twins are back and the Funkadactyls aren’t too bad. There is enough going on to make it fascinating. But it has taken a back seat to all the other crap going on. It probably should have been saved for another, less part-timer heavy night. Oh well.

Winner: Tons of Funk & The Funkadactyls
Via: The medium of dance

Chris Jericho vs. Fandango

Chris Jericho is an excellent servant to the WWE. He has no ego. His last couple of years have seen him job to everyone and yet somehow still remain popular and hasn’t lost any of his reputation.

Fandago is… well, he makes me laugh at the very least. This match is going to be his first one (as this character, watchers of NXT will be familiar the the wrestler under his previous name) and the standard rule is you don’t lose your debut match. They may dirty the ending to keep Jericho strong but this is definitely going to Faaaaahn-daaaaaahng-goooooooooooooo.

Winner: Fandango
Via: DQ?

WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No vs. Dolph Ziggler & Big E Langston

Lots of people are expecting Wrestlemania to be the home of the dissolution of Team Friendship. I don’t think we’re quite there yet and I definitely don’t think they’re going to give the titles to this newly made team.

Am I disappointed we’re not seeing the Prime Time Players in the match? Hell yes. But having these four men in the ring should still result in a great match. Silver linings.

Winner: Team Hell No
Via: Pin-fall

Ryback vs. Mark Henry

Ryback has lost a lot of matches lately at PPVs. He’s still one of creative’s favourite guys and I’m sure they’d love to give him the big win here. Henry has been around long enough that a loss here wouldn’t hurt him as much. I’m sure they’d love to have the spectacle of Ryback giving his finisher to the massive Henry too. This one is locked in.

Winner: Ryback
Via: Eating

Randy Orton, Sheamus & Big Show vs. The Shield

This is the only match that I’m undecided about. This could really go either way. Orton and Sheamus have already lost to the Shield, so logic would tell me that it will reverse and Shield will lose in this rematch. The adding to Big Show could either turn him face again or he could stay heel and cost them the match.

So many variables but I’m going to go with my heart on this one. Believe in The Shield!

Winner: The Shield
Via: Count-Out, possibly?, maybe, I don’t know

World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger

You know what? Everyone has it nailed on that Swagger is going to win this one. And he just might. Momentum seems to be on his side and it all seems to be going that way. But I’m going to make my boldest predicition of the night. Yes. I think it will finally happen. Ziggler is going to cash in the case. And I will explode with joy.

Winner: Dolph Ziggler
Via: Cashing It In

Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar (No Holds Barred Match; If Lesnar wins, Triple H must retire)

And here starts the slow decent into boredom. The next three matches are so obvious it hurts. HHH will win. No doubt. No worries.

Winner: HHH
Via: Pin-fall

The Undertaker vs. CM Punk

The streak will not end. As much as I’d love to see it happen. As interesting as it would be. It’s just not happening. Just try to enjoy the ride.

Winner: The Undertaker
Via: Inevitability

WWE Champion The Rock vs. John Cena

The part-timer will drop the belt and go back to his real job. Cena will once again be the superman on the block and we can all leave and go cry into our corn flakes.

Winner: John Cena
Via: Sigh…

———————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Those are my picks. If you want to share your own leave them in the comments and we’ll see how we all get on after Sunday night. Good luck!

This might turn into a bit of a rant so bear with me. Obviously if you haven’t seen the Rumble yet don’t read an article about it.

Last night saw the most predictable WWE Pay-Per-View in recent memory. This current story-line setting up the “twice in a lifetime” Cena/Rock confrontation at Wrestlemania was sign-posted months ago and the inevitability of it all is tough to take.

Looking at it objectively it’s not a bad story. The company boy Cena lost his must-win match to The Rock at Wrestlemania last year and now he has a chance to redeem himself, and for the title no less. But the problem is this story requires the belt to be in the hands of a part-timer and there are some real issues with that for most fans like myself. It all boils down to respect.

Going back to Wrestlemania last year, The Rock’s win over Cena was a shock. John Cena was the WWE’s star. They placed the company on his shoulders completely and weren’t shy about doing so. While The Rock was in a similar position himself ten years ago, he was now a Hollywood actor and would make an appearance in the WWE once every year or two. To the outsider, for the actor to win would be ridiculous. To let the actor beat their star man would make him look weak and bury him as a legitimate top wrestler. But the WWE didn’t seem to think that way. So The Rock is still seen as the bigger star or they thought Cena was so over that they couldn’t hurt him. Either way it seemed bizarre at the time.

At that very same Pay-Per-View, CM Punk was in the early stages of what would eventually be the longest WWE Title reign in over 25 years. The longest title reign in my lifetime. And his whole reign was about “respect” and how the title was more important than anything else. He brought legitimacy to the belt which was previously being handed around like a parcel at a kids party. He did this, for 434 days, despite being habitually given bad time slots and little air-time. And for the WWE fans who had become disillusioned with the current WWE product, he was a rallying point. He was what the company could be and in many ways what it needs to become if it’s to stay alive.

Punk’s loss to Rock wasn’t a shock like it was with Cena as we could all see it coming, especially the moment that Cena won the Rumble. You could see the cogs moving in Vince McMahon’s brain from miles away. But despite it’s obviousness it was nevertheless still galling to see the belt being handed to a part-time wrestler. To a man who won’t be showing up to house-shows on tour and to a man who won’t be wrestling again until the next Pay-Per-View. He’ll only defend his belt once until he eventually loses to Cena at Wrestlemania.

At the end of the day, wrestling is a business and this a money driven decision. As far as Vince is concerned this was a no-brainer. But sometimes I think you need to worry about the image you’re presenting and the legacy of your business’ top prize. The Rumble was predictable but it doesn’t mean it was right.

JJ and his amazing friend Aaron are back to brighten your day, even if only a little. The two start off with a discussion of an episode of Raw that is a week old as of this posting. Yep, keeping the podcast current, yes we are. The pair also discuss the key to finding satisfaction, if not real success on the internet. And after a little story of parental fear, the two launch into a few comics that you should be reading. Can you smell the ice cream sandwiches that the best people’s champion in the world is cooking?

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Facebook and Twitter has lit up about it. Even as I type this on Wednesday, two days after RAW, CM Punk is trending on Twitter. It would seem to be a failure on my part not to chime in, so why wouldn’t I?

For the next three weeks WWE will exist purely to sell Pay Per View bookings. The Royal Rumble takes place on January 27th and their headline match is CM Punk versus The Rock. The promo wars began this past Monday night and it was intriguing to say the least.

CM Punk is one of the best in the business on the mic, Rocky hasn’t been on our screens for nearly a year and the last time we saw him he was writing notes on the back of his hand. They come from two very different schools of wrestling, Punk was an indy wrestler for years before catching a break and Rocky was the chosen one long before he ever referred to himself in the third person. Nobody knew what to expect the first time they faced off.

Here is the full 30 minute talk-off (with slightly dodgy audio).

Here are my thoughts:

CM Punk started it all off with some choice ranting. When Punk breaks down the problems with the company it’s a beautiful thing to behold. The problem I had was when, I feel, he lost his way and tried to tie it into the crowd. He’s a heel, he’s supposed to get people to hate him and I understand that but I personally feel that some of his points were lost in the mix as he weaved back and forth between beefs. He had the crux of a great promo in there, I just thought it was a little tainted by some sloppy execution. Part of that problem lies in the length of time allowed. I think if he had to do this in half the time he was given it would have been perfect.

Rocky started out in a more serious tone, which is something I had hoped for. He made direct points to Punk and referenced Punk’s own words. It was good. Then, unfortunately he started falling back on the old cliches and his tired old routine. It lowered the tone and showed that Rock has trouble working on Punk’s level. Rocky is one of the best ever to work in the WWE but his style just isn’t the current style and it certain isn’t Punk’s style. It may be considered bias, but to me Punk’s tone is a more intelligent one.

Over all, I was a little dissapointed, I look forward to the coming weeks when hopefully things get much more personal. It’s early days though and both guys need to find their feet with this feud. I don’t believe they’ve found their angle just yet.

Where can this all go? I know what I want to see. Rocky needs to play on Punk’s paranoia of being constantly looked over in the WWE. Rocky is the company man, the golden boy and I think he needs to use that.

If there was a knock out punch in Round One it has to be this.

Or, you know “In your face, Jerks”.

CM Punk 1 – The Rock 0

And if you’re wondering why Punk was trending on Twitter earlier:

He was in Miami wearing Dwayne’s old college football Jersey. Snap.

Wow, what a year. I’m not saying it was great but it was definitely a year. So much has changed in the WWE since I did my Fave Five of 2011 but yet not really at the same time. CM Punk is still champion. John Cena is still over used. Most worrying of all, Khali still gets more air time than Zack Ryder.

The real question is; has my Fave Five changed at all?

1) Daniel Bryan

Without a doubt Goat Face is my top performer of the year. He never has a bad match. Always gets big pops when he arrives. Has done amazing things with terrible material. He’s just so, so good.

Think about it. If I told you at the start of the year that pre-taped counceling sessions with Bryan and Kane would be one of the best things on WWE you’d check to see if I had lost it. And considering that a year ago he was exhiled to Smackdown, it’s hard to believe that he went on to have arguably CM Punk’s best matches this year and is now “the Tag Team Champions”.

Most wrestlers on the roster would kill to be as over as Bryan is right now and yet I still feel like there is so much more to come. Somehow, he still feels under-used. But everything is moving in the right direction so lets hope it stays that way.

2) Dolph Ziggler

Despite having a win/loss ratio in minus figures, it still feels like it has been a good year for the Heel. He won Money In The Bank, finally ditched Swagger and Vickie, got a win at a PPV over John Cena, and got to be the 5th guy to kiss AJ (that girl gets around).

Admittedly he still hasn’t cashed that briefcase in but I’ve kinda enjoyed all the near misses with it. The best thing about those near misses is that the crowd always cheers when he runs out. People are getting behind him and in an age where a lot of venues are deathly silent, that is the most valuable thing in WWE.

Over the last couple months we’ve been hearing more and more Ziggler chants, lots of Ziggler signs in the crowd, and a more vocal fan base. All he needs now is the creative team to get as excited about him as the fans are. If he cashes in that case, hopefully 2013 will see the Zig Zag man follow in D-Bry’s footsteps.

3) AJ

Despite being reduced to a “crazy slut” stereotype at this point, AJ has acheived something that very few WWE “Divas” have in the past and that’s bankability. It’s almost a golden rule now that if AJ is involved in the storyline, something good is going to happen.

For a tiny girl in a business of burly men, that is a very impressive feat indeed. Some could successfully argue that the way she’s being treated is a bit… sexist… kinda, sorta, totally, but I will give her props for managing to navigate her way through all this mess with her head held high and a skip in her step. So to speak.

It’s probably important to note that she has wrestled very few matches throughout the year but I think it’s more accurate to look upon her as that old school kind of manager at ringside than a wrestler now. In much the same way as Paul Heyman = Gold, AJ has managed to become invaluable.

4) CM Punk

(Yes this is the same picture as last year, but he’s still champion so what do you expect?)

The self proclaimed Best In The World has managed to do something I really couldn’t predict, be WWE champion for a complete calender year. It’s not that I didn’t think he was worthy of it, I’m just shocked that the notoriously flaky WWE have kept with the same guy for that long (who isn’t Cena, naturally).

Some of his PPV matches have been majestic and the guy is currently having a ball as the bad guy. He even managed to keep the title despite an injury which is traditionally unheard of in wrestling. WWE are definitely playing the long game and eyeing next year’s Rocky tussle by keeping the strap on his shoulder. Thankfully too, as it is the right move long-term.

I haven’t been thrilled over the last couple months with his rivalries but I think that’s due to the lack of big names on the roster (that he hasn’t already fought a dozen times). But no matter how dull the story-line is, Punk still manages to make it interesting. Even if he has to punch a fan to do it.

5) The Prime Time Players

If any of my picks this year are going to cause a reaction it’s these guys. Darren Young and Titus O’Neill are, in my eyes, the best tag-team that the WWE have by far. And the best tag-team they’ve had for years. These guys should and will be champions. ‘Fro pick and all.

The sad state of affairs is, if the tag division was being taken more seriously they’d have some storylines to work with. However, for some strange reason, Creative don’t really give storylines to tag teams. They just compete, nothing more. Which is a shame as I think they have the charisma and the skills to be a dominant force.

Recently they had PTP do some commentary with Cole and Lawler, it was absolutely hilarious and rambled into the proper uses of “wash rags”, of all things. This sparked a bit of debate about the team as D-Young stayed quiet the whole time and people wondered if there was a problem with the group but I think it just showed the dynamic of the team.

Hopefully things go their way in 2013 and they can finally get those MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

AND COMPETING FOR A PLACE…

Much like last time, there are other wrestlers who have impressed me this year for a number of reasons but I just didn’t like them as much as the above. Something makes me hesitant about them and I’ll divulge those niggles with you now.

Ryback: Clearly, Ryback has gotten a huge push from WWE this year. From a guy in a constant rotation of novelty squash matches to WWE title matches. Brodus Clay must be looking on with tears in his eyes. The problem is, despite his size and strength, nothing really inspires me with him. I think he still needs that one really good rivalry. CM Punk’s injury may have robbed him of that opportunity.

The Shield: If they debuted earlier in the year these guys would have definitely made the list. I am ridiculously excited by the 3 men and the TLC PPV sealed my fandom. Hopefully in 2013 we’ll see a lot more of these rising stars.

Antonio Cesaro: United States champion may have a lame gimmick but the dude has the skills inside the ring. When he is allowed to have a long match, he can really show off. Need to get a little more serious if he’s to be considered more than just a midcarder. Like most guys, his future lies in the hands of the writers.

Kofi Kingston: If you dislike Kofi, you officially have no soul. Fact. He’s the eternal baby face. But the guy needs to get more intense on the mic. It’s his big soft spot. We’ve all seen what he can do in the ring when given the chance (handstand at the Rumble, anyone?).

I would just like to start off by mentioning that all my WWE reports are based on NO backstage sources. There is no insider information here, folks. I just calls ’em as I sees ’em.

It’s understandable there is a bit of a backlash lately towards all the inside gossip floating around online. Wrestling, especially WWE wrestling, is theatre and while it doesn’t necessarily hurt to know if our hero dies at the end of the story, it does hurt if we get all the ins-and-outs of the story weeks in advance.

Also, sometimes it’s just people bullshitting. Which is what I’m doing, but I’m upfront an honest about it and not trying to pass it off as facts because I’ve heard that an unnamed source heard from his cousin that a wrestler won’t be renewing their contract.

But they’re totally not renewing their contract.

———————————————————————————————–

Folks, I have a theory. This theory involves two pieces of information that we know to be true and then one leap of faith. So bear with me as I spitball with you here.

As of writing this article, CM Punk has been the WWE champion for 316 days. I know this because I looked it up here but also because they haven’t shut up about it on air for a while. The WWE aren’t subtle about anything folks, they’re telling us this because it’s going to be important later. And I think I know why.

Cast your mind back to Wrestlemania. Daniel Bryan and Sheamus had a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it match for the World Heavyweight championship. 18 seconds, it famously lasted for. The WWE were trying to break their record for the shortest title match. This record was previously held by Diesel who pinned Bob Backlund in 8 seconds during a non-televised event. WWE, being the true pros of spin that they are, managed to break a record for the shortest Wrestlemania title change-over but it wasn’t the one they wanted.

CM Punk signed a lucrative new contract with the WWE when he returned after his much publicised disappearance act. It’s not uncommon for things like title runs to be part of the negotiations… I think you can see where I’m going with this.

Punk is currently the 10th longest, single run, WWE champion with his 316 days. So lets take a look at the folks in front of him.

As you can see, the really big runs came back in the 70s and 80s with Bruno Sammartino having an incredible run spanning nearly 8 years. Wow. And to follow that up with another 4 year run in 73 means that Sammartino has held the title longer than a lot of WWE fans have lived.

Do I think Punk will have an 8 year run? Nope. The time when they can get away with that is long gone. But I have a funny feeling he’s going to beat #6 on that list.

For the last number of years John Cena has been the man in the WWE. In a lot of ways he’s been both their mascot and their quarterback at the same time. They’ve placed the company on his (very large) shoulders and he has run with it. I have a funny feeling Punk, with his new leverage in the company, is being positioned as the next company man. The new flagship. The longest running WWE champion in history, remember the belt would have been WWF and WWWF for the top 5 wrestlers so they can phrase it like that if they want, and I’m sure they will.

So strap yourselves in folks, because if I’m right, we’ll have Punk as champ until 2013. It could be one hell of a ride.